


Footsteps

by AZGirl



Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, Unidentified Noises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27425449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AZGirl/pseuds/AZGirl
Summary: Tony’s sleep is interrupted by footsteps heard in the middle of the night. Do they belong to a friend, a foe, or someone else?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Footsteps

**Author's Note:**

> Another story I’m only now getting around to posting on this site. It was written back when the 7th season of NCIS was airing on TV in the US.

**ooooooo**

“It is strange how loud little sounds become when you are in the dark and doing something wrong.”

~~~~~ Richard Llewellyn

**ooooooo**

My gun is in my hands before I'm even fully awake. But why? What woke me up?

I lie there, gun in hand, heart beating fast, listening to the night – straining to hear what may have awakened me.

There's nothing but the usual night sounds and the normal settling of this old building I live in.

Then, I hear them.

Footsteps.

They're light, but I hear them running over my head on the roof. Is the owner of the footsteps a threat to me or someone else in the building?

The footsteps suddenly stop.

The apartment I live in has two fire escapes: one is outside the kitchen and the other is right outside my bedroom window. I decide to wait for the footsteps to make up their mind as to which one they'll use.

Another few moments pass before I hear the footsteps again. It seems they have chosen to go towards the kitchen.

I still can’t help but wonder if the footsteps belong to a friend or foe?

My gut is strangely silent on this point – maybe it's still asleep. I wish I was.

I push my sheets back and move to sit up on the edge of the bed, listening to the sounds coming from above.

The footsteps are not trying very hard to be quiet, but by their position, I can tell they've made it to the fire escape.

The footsteps are louder now that they are on the fire escape. Their owner is trying to be quiet but is failing miserably.

Deciding to make my move, I get up and open the bedroom door. At this point, I'm almost dying to know who the footsteps belong to. Hmm. Maybe using the word 'dying' is not such a great idea at this point in time.

I cross the hall, gun in hand and safety off, and head toward the kitchen. An assassin wouldn't be so noisy – would they?

My gut is still silent on the situation before me. Well, silent except for the gurgle in my stomach that is telling me I shouldn't have eaten so much spicy food for dinner. I ignore it for now and make a mental note to get some antacids after this is all over.

Getting into position in my kitchen, I choose a spot where I have a clear sight line to the fire escape through the window and still have cover if I end up needing to defend myself. A creak of the metal fire escape alerts me to the footsteps' proximity and I know that in the next few seconds my question of friend or foe will be answered.

Finally, the owner of the footsteps comes into view – and his feet are bare. No socks. No shoes – just bare feet. What the…?

I stay vigilant in case this is some sort of hinky ruse. Seconds later, legs come into view, and soon after, I see the rest of the person whose footsteps had taken me away from my bed.

His pants are partially unzipped and his shirt is mostly unbuttoned and not tucked in.

Then, as he continues down, I'm finally able to see his face – it looks both frantic and panicked.

I almost laugh out loud right then, but I don't want to scare the poor guy and have him accidentally fall to his death.

I lower my gun and shake my head. It could be only one thing – lovers almost caught in the act and the guy is using my building's fire escape to make his hasty retreat.

I move to the window just after he moves out of sight and watch him continue descending towards the ground. By the light coming through the window, I double check to make sure the gun's safety is on, and then turn back towards my bedroom.

Chuckling at the ridiculousness of the situation, I mourn at the loss of sleep. I place my gun back in my bedside table and flop onto my bed face first. I take a deep breath and as I release it, I roll over to get more comfortable.

An image of the almost-caught lover's appearance comes to mind as I adjust my bedding. I laugh and wonder how the woman is going to explain the man's left-behind shoes to her significant other.

A couple of movies with scenes featuring lovers getting caught in the act fleetingly come to mind. As I start to fall back asleep, I realize that when properly and tastefully embellished, I'll have a great story to tell my teammates in the morning.

ooooooo

_The end_.

**ooooooo**

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written and posted on 26 April 2010 on fanfiction.net. There were some revisions, but the overall content is still the same. 
> 
> Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing. Any remaining mistakes are my fault. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> *Please do not repost or use this or any of my other works on another site or app without my knowledge or consent. FanFiction and Archive of Our Own are the only two sites (as AZGirl on both) where my fiction should be posted. Thank you!


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